Saumya Tandon reveals she slapped Akshaye Khanna for real in Dhurandhar: ‘Aditya Dhar insisted it had to be authentic’

Saumya Tandon played the character of Akshaye Khanna's wife in the film Dhurandhar. The film is directed by Aditya Dhar.

Dhurandhar is the toast of the nation ever since the film hit theatres on December 5. The spy thriller directed by Aditya Dhar stars Ranveer Singh, R Madhavan and Akshaye Khanna. Actor Saumya Tandon played Akshaye's wife in the film. In one intense scene in the film, which has received praise from fans, her character slaps him after a tragedy. Saumya revealed that it was a real slap, which was done in one take.

Saumya Tandon with director Aditya Dhar and co-star Akshaye Khanna on the set of Dhurandhar.

Dhurandhar BTS

Taking to her X account on Sunday, Saumya shared BTS pictures from the shoot to talk about the process on the set. The first picture saw her alongside Aditya and Akshaye discussing the scene. She wrote, "1. This was my entry scene in the film, and the amount of love it has received has truly overwhelmed me. In this scene, I felt everything at once- anger towards my husband for being the reason behind our son’s death, helpless desperation, and the deep, shared pain between us. And yes, I slapped Akshay once-for real- during his close-up, after Aditya insisted it had to be authentic. I was hoping to cheat, but no such luck. My breakdown close-up was done in a single take."

(spoiler alert)

The second picture showed her sitting down on the floor to pray. She wrote, “2. This was the prayer meeting after my son’s demise. The pain I felt in that moment stayed with me-it came straight from the heart.”

About Dhurandhar

Dhurandhar follows the story of an Indian spy named Hamza, who infiltrates Pakistan deeply to join Rehman Dakait's gang. The film is inspired by real-life events, ranging from the 2001 Parliament attack and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, offering audiences an insight into the India-Pakistan conflict. It also stars Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi in pivotal roles. The second part will be released in theatres on March 19. 2026.